Turkey: Ancient Cultures of Eastern Anatolia

Turkey: Ancient Cultures of Eastern Anatolia

For centuries the eastern part of Anatolia has been a crossroads of many different cultures. Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Armenians, Seljuks and Ottomans all have left their mark. The giant sculpted gods of Nemrud Dag, sitting on top of a Taurus peak, are the undisputed highlight. But there are many lesser known treasures, such as the Seljuk cemetery of Ahlat and the Armenian cathedral on Akdamar Island in Lake Van.

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'Hercules and Zeus on Nemrud Dag-1.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see, in the foreground Hercules/Artagnes and to the right Zeus/Ahuramazda. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the west side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Hercules on Nemrud Dag.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a mix of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see the fusion between Hercules and the Persian God of War Artagnes. The head has toppled from a statue that occupies a terrace on the west side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Hercules and Antiochus on Nemrud Dag-2.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see in the foreground Hercules/Artagnes and to the right Antiochus who placed himself among the gods. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the west side of the tumulus. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Zeus and Apollo on Nemrud Dag.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see in the foreground Zeus/Ahuramazda and to the left Apollo/Mithras (the persian god of light). The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the west side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Apollo, Hercules and a guardian eagle on Nemrud Dag.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see from left to right: Apollo/Mithras (the persian god of light), Hercules/Artagnes and a guardian eagle. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the east side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Looking out over Commagene.'
On the southern slopes of the Taurus mountain range, near the village of Damlacik (east of Adiyaman), a shepherd boy is looking out over a lateral valley of the Euphrates which, in the first century BC, was part of the Commagene kingdom. Not far from here lie the ruins of its capital Arsameia and the famous mountaintop tomb of Nemrud Dag. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Inscription at Arsameia.'
At Arsameia, the ruined capital of the Commagene kingdom in the first century BC, a Greek inscription describes the foundation of the city. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom, east of modern Adiyaman. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Mithradates shaking hands with Hercules-2.'
At Arsameia, the ruined capital of the Commagene kingdom in the first century BC, a relief shows king Mithradates Kallinikos (left) shaking hands with Hercules, who in Commagene also represented the persian god Artagnes. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom, east of modern Adiyaman. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Hercules and Zeus on Nemrud Dag-2.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see, in the foreground Hercules/Artagnes and to the right Zeus/Ahuramazda. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the west side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Hercules and Antiochus on Nemrud Dag-1.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see in the foreground Hercules/Artagnes and to the left Antiochus who placed himself among the gods. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the west side of the tumulus. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Zeus, Apollo and Fortuna on Nemrud Dag.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see from right to left Zeus/Ahuramazda followed by Apollo/Mithras (the persian god of light) and the goddess Fortuna who doubled as the fertility goddess of Commagene. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the west side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Apollo, Zeus, and a guardian eagle on Nemrud Dag.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see from left to right: Apollo/Mithras (the persian god of light), Zeus/Ahuramazda and a guardian eagle. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the west side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Apollo and Hercules on Nemrud Dag.'
On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see on the left Apollo/Mithras (the persian god of light) and Hercules/Artagnes on the right. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the east side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Mithras tunnel at Arsameia.'
At Arsameia, the ruined capital of the Commagene kingdom in the first century BC, a tunnel descends 150m through the rock to an underground room which is thought to have been built for Mithras-worshipping rites. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom, east of modern Adiyaman. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

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'Mithradates shaking hands with Hercules-1.'
At Arsameia, the ruined capital of the Commagene kingdom in the first century BC, a relief shows king Mithradates Kallinikos (left) shaking hands with Hercules, who in Commagene also represented the persian god Artagnes. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom, east of modern Adiyaman. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

On top of Mount Nemrud, east of Adiyaman, king Antiochus I (ca. 62 -32 BC) of Commagene built for himself a huge tumulus flanked by rows of giant statues. Commagene was a small independent kingdom squeezed between the Roman Empire and the Parthian (Persian) kingdom. The statues are syncretic deities that represent a fusion of ancient (Zoroastrian) Persian and Greek/Roman gods. Here we see, in the foreground Hercules/Artagnes and to the right Zeus/Ahuramazda. The heads have toppled from statues that occupy a terrace on the west side of the tumulus, which can be seen looming behind. Photo Mick Palarczyk.